Before getting to today’s outrages — I always hate to have to pass the hat, but I’ve realized my income this month isn’t going to stretch to the next Social Security deposit, assuming it gets deposited. I’m doing a very small fundraiser. Here’s the GoFundMe link. Or, you can always use the donate link over on the right-hand column, if you’re on the home page. Thanks much for all help.
The fallout from yesterday’s CR vote may just be getting started. Lots of people are furious at Chuck Schumer. It’s been widely reported that even Nancy Pelosi expressed outrage at Schumer. However, I’m not sure the statement she made came out before or after the actual vote. In any event, she wanted the Senate to nix the CR and try to negotiate something less toxic. Josh Marshall called the vote a missed opportunity for Dems to make it clear to the public that We Are Not Okay With What Trump Is Doing.
I don’t think most of the long-entrenched Dems in Washington really, truly get how the single biggest thing holding them back for many elections is that too many voters don’t see how they are different from Republicans. And, in truth, some of them haven’t been all that different; the infamous “centrists,” for example. The ones who come out after every lost election to blame the progressives. Makes me crazy. But if something good does manage to sneak out of this terrible mess we’re stuck in now, maybe it’s that the Dems will finally realize it’s not 1992 any more, and the “New Democrat,” “No Labels,” “let’s reach across the aisle” crap is what’s been failing them, not promoting a Green New Deal.
So, for the record, here are the Dems who caved and voted for the CR:
- Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer
- Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania
- Senator Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada
- Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii
- Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois
- Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York
- Senator Gary Peters of Michigan
- Senator Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire
- Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire
- Senator Angus King of Maine, an independent who frequently caucuses with Democrats
Former Republican strategist Steve Schmidt, who isn’t exactly a radical firebrand, wrote in his substack column Surrender has a terrible price — Chuck Schumer just purchased it for America. Ouch.
I also want to say that John Fetterman has been a huge disappointment, He seems to want to be the new Kyrsten Sinema. I hope at least that he never shows up for a State of the Union address disguised as a canary. Note also that Chuck isn’t up for re-election until 2028, and Gillibrand not until 2030. I don’t know about the rest of them.
Moving on — it strikes me that Trump is now at war with just about everything on the planet except the actual enemies of the U.S. He’s at war with higher education. He’s at war with science, especially climate science. He can’t seem to relate to any of our long-term allies without making it a confrontation, such as his getting nasty with the Prime Minister of Ireland this past week. And he’s still talking about taking over Canada, Greenland, and the Panama Canal. And why are we not demanding a psychological and cognitive evaluation of this guy? He’s either massively stupid or not entirely there.
And it’s all about his personal grievances. He has no interest whatsoever in policy or government. He just wants to get back at everything he doesn’t think reveres him enough. Or something. Yesterday’s Justice Department speech was, IMO, nothing but a scream from Trump’s dark and twisted id. Pretty much everything Trump is doing is probably about gratifying his ego and emotions and getting back at all the people he thinks haven’t been fair to him. Which seems to be most of the human species.
And much of this is just irrational. Today Voice of America employees showed up for work and found themselves locked out.
Journalists showed up at the Voice of America today to broadcast their programs only to be told they had been locked out: Federal officials had embarked on indefinite mass suspensions.
All full-time staffers at the Voice of America and the Office for Cuba Broadcasting, which runs Radio and Television Martí, were affected — more than 1,000 employees. The move followed a late Friday night edict from President Trump that its parent agency, called the U.S. Agency for Global Media, must eliminate all activities that are not required by law.
In addition, under the leadership of Trump appointees, the agency has severed all contracts for the privately incorporated international broadcasters it funds, including Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks.
What the bleep? Was this Vladimir Putin’s idea? All of these things are part of a bigger thing called the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which currently is headed by Trump ally and professional Fruit Loop Kari Lake. Surely Lake could have directed it all toward pushing pro-Trump news all the time. Why is he shutting these things down?
Along with gutting the global media agency, yesterday Trump signed executive orders gutting agencies dealing with libraries, museums, and ending homelessness.
Today Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to speed up deportations. Apparently he hasn’t been able to deport people any faster than previous presidents, which enrages him. From the Brennan Center for Justice:
The Alien Enemies Act of 1798 is a wartime authority that allows the president to detain or deport the natives and citizens of an enemy nation. The law permits the president to target these immigrants without a hearing and based only on their country of birth or citizenship. Although the law was enacted to prevent foreign espionage and sabotage in wartime, it can be — and has been — wielded against immigrants who have done nothing wrong, have evinced no signs of disloyalty, and are lawfully present in the United States. It is an overbroad authority that may violate constitutional rights in wartime and is subject to abuse in peacetime. …
… The Alien Enemies Act has been invoked three times, each time during a major conflict: the War of 1812, World War I, and World War II. In World Wars I and II, the law was a key authority behind detentions, expulsions, and restrictions targeting German, Austro-Hungarian, Japanese, and Italian immigrants based solely on their ancestry. The law is best known for its role in Japanese internment, a shameful part of U.S. history for which Congress, presidents, and the courts have apologized.
… So it’s only ever been used during a declared war, which we don’t currently have. A president “may invoke the Alien Enemies Act in times of ‘declared war’ or when a foreign government threatens or undertakes an ‘invasion’ or ‘predatory incursion’ against U.S. territory,” the Brennan Center says. So Trump is imagining that other countries are emptying out their jails and insane asylums and sending people here, not that people are coming here of their own accord. Today Trump claimed the U.S. is being invaded by a particular Venezuelan gang, and he had all of five Venezuelans all ready to deport. But a judge has blocked the deportations pending a hearing.
Too bad there are so few insane asylums left. Trump needs to be in one.
25 clams coming your way.
Thank you!
"too many voters don’t see how they are different from Republicans"
I would argue that what is holding back democrats is their seemingly unwillingness to fight, which in that aspect makes them quite different from republicans. They are stuck in the good old days of political congeniality, where both sides differed on policy but believed each had the best interests of the country at heart. Well those days are over, the GQP has only one interest, amassing power. And if they are looking out for the best interests of a country well that country would be Russia. Democrats have the right policies and the truth on their side but they have absolutely no ability to effectively communicate. Biden's press shop was the worst I have ever witnessed. Jefferies gets in front of a podium and speaks in some strange cadence that is uncomfortable and in confusing, Schumer well he's as weak and boring as they come. Nancy Pelosi has to be the most unappealing politician of her time. Harris is a good communicator but lost the election largely because she never attacked Trump as the extremely volatile and dangerous lunatic that he is. She ran the entire campaign and hardly mentioned the J6 terrorist attack on the capital, it was on tape she had hours of footage for ads but never used any of it. Then her campaign let Stump define her as the candidate for the tiny fraction of people in this country who support federally funded sex change operations? The GQP has successfully defined the democrats as a group of weak ineffective woke cowards and unfortunately far too many of them have complied. Democrats need to focus on policies that help a majority of Americans and stop wasting time and energy on the fringes. The GOP has been successful because they focus on a few hot button culture war issues, they stay on message and they have completely unified behind Stump. The Democrats can do the same (only with real issues and sane leadership) but they need to surrender the culture war, it's over we lost, we never should have taken the bait in the first place. Stop letting the magats define who we are and start openly fighting for things that have real consequences for the majority of Americans. Get off your asses!
Yes, but that's why voters assume they basically agree with Republicans.
I sent a few shekels on the paypal!
Thank you!
The Democrats are always in disarray because they are constantly realigning.
I pitched in as well. Thanks!!
Maybe it *is* still 1992 – the Democratic Party would be bankrupt without money from Wall Street, Silicon Valley, and Hollywood. Sanders & AOC can fund their campaigns with lotsa small donations, but that won't keep the Party apparatchiks employed at the level of income to which they have become accustomed….
My dad had a ball cap he picked up from South Of The Border. It had two bills that pointed out about 30 degrees to the left and right. The caption in front said, "Which Way Did They Go? I'm Their Leader!"
I believe the realignment has started, but not in Congress. A friend of mine with activist credentials said he's considering organizing a march from Gettysburg to DC, with a major non-violent action peaking in DC. The last one he did was a big deal. I think Democrats and Independents will show up. The recent explosive town halls say the voters are on board. They're waiting for the word and it won't be a declaration from Congress.
That's OK. The “leaders” willl see the light when the people take the lead. Then. they'll try to take credit for it. It will be up to us to make sure the Deomcrats don't corrupt what the people make possible.
This revolution will be the opposite of MAGA in this regard. MAGA wants a "great leader" willing to break the rules and rule from strength – to hell with the law. The new revolution will respect the law, and rule by the majority for the good of regular folks. WE are the source of wealth in the world and we only need to exert that power that tyrants fear and Jefferson defined:
",,,That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, …"
[When a dictator] " evinces a design to reduce them [citizens] under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security…."
I don't think we need a new Constitution, though the original had serious flaws. I think we do need to make real the ideals enshrined in the amended Constitution which ended slavery and moved dramatically toward real equality. Some of those changes in my lifetime – for a while. The majority isn't willing to go back to 1860, or even the bias pre-1960. We're gonna see some serious hurt before people take seriously rights and privileges they take for granted.